Long Island forecast: Beryl to bring scattered showers, a slight break from the heat through Saturday

Beryl was swirling toward the Northeast Wednesday, but the storm is predicted to give Long Island only a glancing blow — mostly in the form of scattered showers and cooler air, meteorologists said.

Beryl had landed in Texas Monday as a Category 1 storm, leaving millions without power. But it was a post-tropical cyclone around midday Wednesday and centered over southeastern Michigan, with its winds calmed to below tropical storm strength. 

Remnants of Beryl will pass through upstate New York in the coming days, but will have a minimal effect on Long Island, said Joe Pollina, meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

On and off showers, interspersed with sunshine and cloudy skies, are expected overnight Wednesday through Saturday, with temperatures in the low 80s. The result will a slight break for Long Islanders from the recent high heat, although high humidity will continue.

Nassau and western Suffolk had been under heat advisories through Wednesday. 

“Most of the rain we’ll see tonight is associated with an approaching cold front,” said Pollina. While Beryl is attached to this cold front, her remnants will not have a direct impact on Nassau and Suffolk counties. In addition to some rain, the incoming cold front could lower temperatures in the next few days, said Pollina, but the heat will return by the weekend.

“Basically, there will just be minimal impact since most of the impacts will pass north and west of our area,” he said.

As a hurricane, Beryl has been blamed for at least seven U.S. deaths — one in Louisiana and six in Texas — and at least 11 in the Caribbean.

On Long Island, the weather service warned of life-threatening rip currents at all South Shore ocean beaches through Thursday.

“Anyone visiting the beaches should stay out of the surf," the weather service said in a statement on Wednesday. "Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from the shore into deeper water."

The service offered safety advice as well: “If caught in a rip current, relax and float, and do not swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline."